Hello Everyone!!
Just a note to say I'm very glad to be back. I was participating in a 3 month Forum (which turned out okay, but was very lacking in participation) and could not fully give my attention to this site. Now, however I am playing catch up and trying to read as many of the previous and archived posts that I can. Wow. This is some site. I feel privileged to be here. Seems like you guys really do your homework. Looking forward to sharing thoughts, feelings, information, and offering my support where I can.
Much Love,
Candle

Hey Candle, Glad you're back. Hope there was some value to the Forum for you and for future victims of cancer. Hopefully, this site can help you, also, with questions and concerns. It has sure helped me. It's one of the few things that makes being a member of this club a good thing.

Hi, everybody,
My husband, Bill, and I are so confused about treatment. Bill has squamous cell carcinoma in base of tongue and 1 lymph node, Stage IV. We were sold on traditional treatment with radiation and chemo followed by removal of the lymph node. Then we started hearing and reading about IMRT. Has anybody had experience with this? We are concerned that with IMRT the benefit of saving healthy tissue may be at the expense of leaving some existing cancer in Bill's throat. Has IMRT been around for at least 5 years so we can have any statistics about the cure rate with this treatment? Sometimes the newest thing may not be the best thing, but how do you know? We are TOTALLY CONFUSED. Please reply, we so appreciate your help.
Praying for you.... MB

Hi, again,
Anybody out there know which hospital is considered the very best for treatment of head and neck cancers? Thank you all.

I believe it's Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. I am not positive but I believe Johns Hopkins and MD Anderson are #2&3.

Don't forget to look at the "Best Hospitals" link on the resources page of the main site. It is current as of a couple weeks ago when the data from US News was updated. MD Anderson took the number one spot, and Sloan the number 2, But I would feel confortable at any of the top four. That doesn't mean that any of the top ten are slouches, just if you can go anywhere you want, why not number 1 or 2?

Bill, sorry you have this to deal with. I don't know where Niceville, FL, is, but Sylvester Cancer Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami is a very good cancer center. I was treated by the head and neck team there and found their treatment to be first class. They are also very sympathic with your condition and because it is a teaching hospital, are up to date on all of the latest knowledge and techniques for treating this disease. You should check them out if it is geographically convenient.

Bill
If you look at the references as Brian indicated Moffit Center in Tampa is up there. I received my treatment, luckliy I live in Tampa and compared them against U of Florida Shands in Gainsville and was very pleased with Moffit. My oncologist in executive Board member of the National Cancer Institute and there are only 15 of these guys so he's got the top qualifications. Something to consider.

Bill,
Some of us here received IMRT and some, like me, also base of tongue and stage IV, received "regular" radiation along with chemo. Once you choose one of the top cancer centers, your doctors, ordinarily an interdisciplinary group consisting of a surgeon, oncologist and radiation oncologist, will meet together and decide which treatment is best for you. In my case they did not feel IMRT was appropriate.

My advice: Go to one of the best cancer centers,educate yourself,( this is a good place to do that) ask a lot of questions, and if it seems reasonable , follow the advice of your doctors. If it seems unreasonable, get a second opinion.

Good luck,
Danny G.